Apparatus for use in the manufacture of rayon



'Patented May 2o, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR USE INTHE MANUFACTURE OF RAYON Hans Alwin Schrenk, Arnhem, Netherlands, as-Asignor to American Enka Corporation, Enka, N. C., a corporation ofDelaware Application September 23, 1940, Serial No. 358,019

In the Netherlands December 4, 1939 Claims.

' conducted into a centrifugal spinning bucket.

through the intermediary of a reciprocating guide funnel, and collectedtherein in the form of a cake. In order to prevent contamination of theatmosphere by noxious gases released during spinning, and consequentinjury to operators, the spinning pot in which the yarn is collected isenclosed within a chamber from which air is con# stantly removed bysuction. However, in view of the fact that a central opening must beprovided in the cover of .the .chamber in order to permit reciprocationof the guide furmel within the revolving pot, it is imlpossible tocompletely seal the centrifugal pot within the chamber. Furthermore,successful operation requires that the guide funnel reciprocate exactlyalong the rotary axis of the revolving pot so that centering of thefunnel with respect to theA pot ,must be accomplished independently ofthe opening in the chamberfcover, which must further be relatively largeto permit easy removal oi the guide funnel when spinning is completedand it becomes necessary to lift the chamber cover as well as the potcover to gain access to the cake of yarn after it has been collected.

In the pot spinning process for the manufacture of rayon,the potrevolves at a very high rate of speed and consequently exerts a fan-likeaction by which, in conjunction with the suction means applied to thechamber, air is drawn therein from the surrounding atmosphere throughthe opening in the cover. This Ventilating action is of great importancein preventing the escape of noxious gases to the surrounding atmosphere.Since the air drawn in mixes with the noxious gases within the potchamber, and is constantly drawn off by suction, in a spinning roomwherein several hundred such spinning units are'located the amount ofair drawn into the pot chambers from outside is very great. Inasmuch asthe air in the spinning room must be maintained at a fairly hightemperature for optimum spinning conditions, it will be seen that thisconstant and large-scale Withdrawal of air therefrom creates a heatingproblem of considerable importance.

Since the amount of air drawn into the pot chambers is dependent to alarge extent upon the sizeof the opening in the chamber cover, thepresent invention contemplates the narrowing of this aperture without inany Way interfering with the lateral adjustment of the guide funnell andthe accessibility of the pot.

It is an object of this invention to reduce to a the rate of withdrawalof air from the pot spinning room without the least interference withthe adequate removal of noxious gases' from the chambers surroundingspinning pots.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for reducingthe amount of air drawn into the spinning pot chamber during thespinning process.

These and other objects will appear from a study of the followingdescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying .drawingwherein:

Figure 1 is a view in sectional elevation of a preferred form ofspinning pot apparatus constructed according to this invention; and

Figure 2 is a view taken along the line 2 -2 of Figure 1.

In the drawing the numeral I designates a spinning pot driven by aspindle 2 and separated from a driving mechanism (not shown) by a motorhousing 3, said motor housing having affixed thereto a anged collarmember 4. .Pot I is provided with a cover` 5 having a central opening 6therein to permit vertical reciprocation within the pot of a guidefunnel through the intermediary of which yarn or thread 8 is conductedinto the spinning pot. it its upper end funnel 1 is attached to the arm9` of a reciprocating mechanism (not shown) and is provided nea. itslowerextremity With -a collar I0.

'I'he spinning pot I is enclosed within a cham- 4 ber II, open atl thebottom to accommodate the motor housing 3, its side walls being bentinwardly at the base toform a channel I2 containing Water or otherliquid I3 in which the rim of the collar member II is immersed to effectan air-tight seal between the chamber andthe motor and prevent theescape of gases from the chamber. The chamber is further provided with acover I4 having a anged portion I5 designed to rest in a channel I6formed about the outer periphery of the chamber and 4containing a liquidI1 forming an air-tight seal between the chamber and its cover. Cover I4has a central opening at I8 for entrance of the guide funnel into thepot and` sumciently large to allow for adjustment of the funnel withrespect to the center of the pot, the portion of the cover surroundingthe opening I8 being provided with a reen-forced portion I9 the uppersurface of which is iiat and smooth.

In order to reduce to a minimum the amount of air drawn into the chamberthrough opening I8, by the suction means indicated at I9a as well as lbythe rapid. rotation of pot I, a thin fiat plate 2, of Bakelite or othersuitable material, is pro-l vided, adapted to rest upon the at uppersurface of the enlarged portion of thechamber cover and having a centralopening 2| only slightly greater in diameter than the outer diameter ofthe guide funnel to provide a play of, for example, 0.1 to 0.2 mm. f

The outer surface of the guide funnel 'I is perfectly cylindrical, sothat plate 20 will make only linear contact therewith, while the edge ofthe opening 2I ofthe plate is sharpened in order to reduce the surfaceofcontact of the funnel with the plate.

, When the device is placed in operation, yarn 8 is passed through guidefunnel-'1,` while spinning pot I is caused to rotate at a high rate ofspeed. The funnel is reciprocated to distribute the yarn within the potand to eect the formation of a cake. Because of the fact that there is aslight clearance between the plate 20 and guide funnel 1; the latterwill reciprocate through the opening in the plate, but the plate itselfwill remain stationary. If any lateral adjustment of the guide funnel isnecessary, the plate may be moved therewith since itis not attached tothe cover I4 of the chamber II but merely rests thereon. It will benoted that the opening through which air is passed into the chamber isdefined by the guide funnel and plate 20 so that the opening at I 8 incover I4 is almost entirely closed.

Upon completion of the spinning operation, when it is ,desired to removethe spun cake from the centrifugal pot, funnel guide I is lifted outVand collar I0, the outer diameter of which is greater than the diameterof opening 2| in plate 20, carries the plate along with it so that nodifficulties are encountered and the pot is readily accessible.

Having now described the invention in its preferred embodiment, it is tobe understood that modications may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for use in the manufacture of rayon yarn comprising, a.centrifugal spinning pot, a guide funnel for directing yarn into saidpot, a chamber enclosing said pot, means for withdrawing gases from saidchamber, a cover for said chamber, said cover having an opening thereinto permit normal accommodation and lateral adjustment of said funnel,and a plate loosely surrounding said funnel and extending beyond thedefining margins of the opening in said cover, whereby the passage ofair through the opening in the cover is restricted.

2. Apparatus for use in the manufacture of rayon yarn comprising, acentrifugal spinning pot, a guide funnel for directing yarn into saidpot,`a chamber enclosing said pot, means for withdrawing gases from saidchamber, a cover for said chamber, said cover having an annular opening.therein of a size to permit normal accommodation and lateral -adustmentof said funneLand an annular plate surrounding said funnel at a pointabove the cover, said annular plate having an external diameter inexcess of the diameter of the opening in the cover and having aninternal diameter slightly in excess of the external diameter of thefunnel which it surrounds, whereby the passage of air through theopening in the cover is' restricted.

3. Apparatus for use in the manufacture of rayon yarn comprising, acentrifugal spinning '-pot, a reciprocating guide funnel for directingyarn into said pot, a chamber enclosing said pot, means for withdrawinggases from said chamber, a cover for said chamber, said cover having anopening therein to permit normal accommodation and lateral adjustment ofsaid funnel, and a plate loosely surrounding said funnel and extendingbeyond the defining margins of the opening in said cover, the minimumthickness of said collar being at the edge thereof surrounding thefunnel, whereby a reduced friction surface is presented between thefunnel and the collar so that the latter will not be moved upon recipro--cation of the funnel while the amount of air passing into the chamberwill be reduced.

4. Apparatus for use in the manufacture of rayon yarn comprising, acentrifugal spinning pot, a guide funnel for directing yarn into saidpot, a chamber enclosing said pot, means for withdrawing gases from saidchamber, a 'cover for said chamber, said cover having an annular openingtherein of a size to permit normal accommodation and lateral adjustmentof said funnel, an annular plate surrounding said funnel at a pointabove the cover, said annular plate having an external diameter inexcess of the diameter of the opening in the cover and having aninternal diameter slightly in excess of the external diameter of thefunnel which it surrounds, and means on said funnel limiting therelative axial movement of said funnel and annular member, whereby theannular member will be carried by said funnel when the latter is movedto permit access to the yarn cake.

5. Apparatus for use in the manufacture of rayon yarn comprising, acentrifugal spinning pot, a reciprocating guide funnel for directingyarn into said pot, a chamber enclosing said pot, means for withdrawinggases from said chamber, a cover for said chamber, lsaid cover having acentrally disposed annular opening therein of a diameter suflicient topermit normal accommodation and lateral adjustment of said funnel, anannular plate surrounding said funnel at a point above said cover, theexternal diameter of said annular plate 'being in excess of the diameterof the annular opening in the cover, the internal diameter of saidannular member being slightly in excess of the external diameter of thefunnel which it surrounds, said annular member being reduced inthickness at its edge surrounding said funnel to reduce the frictionsurface between the funnel and the annular member, and means on saidfunnel limiting the relative axial movement of said funnel and annularmember, whereby the anular member will be carried by said funnel whenthe latter is raised to permit access to the yarn cake.

Y HANsfALWlN SCHRENK.

